World indoor pole vault champion Svetlana Feofanova will compete at the Norwich Union Super League in Gateshead a week on Sunday.

World indoor pole vault champion Svetlana Feofanova will compete at the Norwich Union Super League in Gateshead a week on Sunday.

The Russian athlete broke the world indoor record on each of her last three appearances in Britain earlier this year, the final one was at the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham where she took the gold medal with a clearance of 4.80m.

So expectations will be high when Feofanova makes her first British outdoor appearance of the year.

The European Champion has jumped 4.72m so far this season but the Russian believes she can overtake World and Olympic Champion Stacy Dragila's world record of 4.81m set in California in June 2001.

"The world record is in my sights for this summer," said Feofanova.

"On my last three visits to Britain I have set a new world best and I would love to achieve it again this year," added the Russian.

In Gateshead, Feofanova will be up against fellow Russians Yelena Isinbayeva who cleared 4.73m, the highest jump in the world this year, in Poland last week and Tatiana Polnova, who has jumped 4.70m this season.

While after setting a personal best of 4.10m, Britain's Tracy Bloomfield will get her chance to compete against the world's very best vaulters.

But all eyes will be on Feofanova who is confident that she can secure another victory on British soil.

"The competition in Gateshead will be fierce but I know on my day I am very hard to beat." she said.

Feofanova will be one of the favourites for gold at the World Championships in Paris in August where she is expected to battle it out with arch rival and reigning World and Olympic Champion Stacy Dragila.

The Russian knows that every competition along the way could make the difference to her performance in Paris.

"A gold medal at the World Championships in Paris is my chief target and Gateshead will play an important part in my preparations," added Feofanova.

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